


Special

by ProtoNeoRomantic



Series: Patch Works [40]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Backstory, Canon Half-Demon Character, Divorce, Doyle is a genius, Doyle is a prodigy, Dropping Out, Education, Gen, Hidden Depths, Religion, internalized opression, making improbable timelines work, marrying young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 06:23:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20559695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtoNeoRomantic/pseuds/ProtoNeoRomantic
Summary: Soon after dropping out of Sunnydale High and moving to Los Angelus to find something more meaningful to do than watching Faith watch the Hellmouth, Buffy starts to get to know Doyle, the mysterious Half-Demon visionary who helps her find the people most in need of her help.





	Special

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Spring Forward](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5003116) by [ProtoNeoRomantic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtoNeoRomantic/pseuds/ProtoNeoRomantic). 

“Well I sort of went to a special school,” Doyle mumbled sheepishly.

Buffy gave him a sideways look. “Special like lots of opportunity to excel in the industrial arts and practical math or special like padded cells and razor wire?”

Doyle sighed and turned away, fiddling needlessly with a stack of files, completely failing to look like he was busily organizing them or something. “I went to St. Stephen's Catholic Academy for Gifted Boys, which is in The Middle of Nowhere, Idaho. That's how I ended up in this country, basically on my own at thirteen. I busted my ass to get out of that hell hole, all that bracing fresh air and character buildin' hard work.” Doyle shuttered, for real or for show, Buffy couldn't tell.

“By the time I was fifteen, I'd run them out of things to teach me,” he went on explaining, “taken every AP class they had, til they had to turn me lose. The old monks just about busted their complete lack of buttons when I told them I wanted to go into teaching. O'course I never said it was cause I wanted to make sure it got done different for the next generation of poor bastards comin' along. They set me up with a full scholarship to Our Lady of Holy Cross, a little Catholic college in New Orleans, which is a fine city in which to learn to drink.

“And at that point, I really was on me own. My mother was still in Ireland, working in the Library, same as always. I saw her maybe twice a year. Which I didn't think was sad at the time, I just thought it meant I was grown. By the time I turned eighteen, I was already halfway through student teaching, and then, just after graduation I met Harry and got my first job and went to work. By nineteen I was married and getting nominated for teacher of the year and that. It was like I had my whole life mapped out, settled, done, ya know?”

“Yeah, I kind of do know,” Buffy said sympathetically. “I bet it sucked.”

Doyle shrugged. “Nah, It was great. I loved it. If it wasn't for the whole 'demon' thing, I'd probably be chairman of the PTA and the Knights of Columbus by now. Two or three little rugrats crawlin' around. More on the way. Never even know I was a boring old geezer at twenty-three.”

Buffy paused and gave Doyle a serious look. “Let me ask you something,” she said. “Is the trouble with Harry really that she has a problem with demons, or is it that you do?”


End file.
